Pressure Tunnel and Shafts

Item details


Name of item:	Pressure Tunnel and Shafts
Type of item:	Built
Group/Collection:	Utilities - Water
Category:	Water Tunnel
Location:	Lat: -33.8954122736 Long: 151.12979927
Primary address:	, Potts Hill, NSW 2143
Local govt. area:	Canterbury-Bankstown
Local Aboriginal Land Council:	Gandangara

Property description

Lot/Volume Code	Lot/Volume Number	Section Number	Plan/Folio Code	Plan/Folio Number
LOT	1446		DP	132224
LOT	14	2	DP	1576
LOT	15	2	DP	1576
LOT	16	2	DP	1576
LOT	17	2	DP	1576
LOT	1		DP	187816
LOT	7		DP	30405
LOT	1		DP	613377
LOT	2		DP	642128
LOT	1		DP	665856
LOT	1		DP	744939
LOT	1		DP	799302
LOT	1		DP	812589

Boundary:

The physical boundary curtilage of the Pressure Tunnel is to be taken as a distance of 3 metres around the existing infrastructure (NB this is not necessarily all owned by Sydney Water). The infrastructure associated with this item includes the original fabric and archaeological evidence including but not limited to the tunnel, vertical shafts and buildings attached to the shafts. The visual curtilage is restricted to the shafts from which access may be gained. Most of the pipeline is located below ground.

All addresses

Suburb/town	LGA	Type
Potts Hill	Canterbury-Bankstown	Primary Address
Waterloo	Sydney	Alternate Address
Enfield	Strathfield	Alternate Address
Burwood	Burwood	Alternate Address
Bankstown	Canterbury-Bankstown	Alternate Address
Canterbury	Canterbury-Bankstown	Alternate Address
Ashfield	Inner West	Alternate Address
Marrickville	Inner West	Alternate Address
Erskineville	Sydney	Alternate Address
Petersham	Inner West	Alternate Address
Chullora	Canterbury-Bankstown	Alternate Address

Owner/s

Organisation Name	Owner Category	Date Ownership Updated
Sydney Water	State Government	27 Nov 98

Statement of significance:


	The Pressure Tunnel is of high historical and technical significance as it represents a successful engineering response to the difficulties of increasing the volume of water from the Potts Hill Reservoir to the Pumping Station at Waterloo, a historically critical link in the water supply of Sydney. It is the third largest pressure tunnel in the world, representing a significant achievement in the provision of a dependable water supply by the Government and Water Board during the inter-war period.
	Date significance updated: 19 Dec 01
	Note: The State Heritage Inventory provides information about heritage items listed by local and State government agencies. The State Heritage Inventory is continually being updated by local and State agencies as new information becomes available. Read the Department of Premier and Cabinet copyright and disclaimer.

Description


Designer/Maker:	Water Board
Builder/Maker:	Water Board
Construction years:	1921-1935
Physical description:	Beginning at Potts Hill, the tunnel passes under the suburbs of Chullora, Bankstown, Enfield, Canterbury, Ashfield, Petersham, Marrickville, Erskineville, and Waterloo at a depth below ground level varying for 15m to 67m beneath high ground at Ashfield. Its maximum grade is 1 in 100, and its minimum is 1 in 2000. Its total length is approximately 16 kilometres. The pipes are lined with sand-cement mortar and the space between the liners and walls of the tunnel is filled with concrete to support the liner against deformation from internal pressures and as a protection against corrosion. Its delivery capacity can be increased by booster pumps at Potts Hill. Seventeen shafts were constructed along the Pressure Tunnel. Of these Shaft 1 is in Rookwood Road near Potts Hill Pumping Station. Shaft 17 is located at Waterloo at the former Central Workshops. Shafts 2, 3, 7, 8, 13 and 16 have all been filled. Shaft 5 is the dewatering shaft that is located at Therry St and discharges into the Cooks River. Shaft 11 is another dewatering shaft which discharges into Hawthorne Canal. Shaft 4 is located on Roberts Road, Shaft 12 on Chester St at Petersham, Shaft 14 on Station St at Newtown and Shaft 15 on Newton St. Shaft 6 (also referred to as Offtake Shaft No. 2) sees a change in tunnel levels. The Tunnel level was raised by 36m. Shaft 9 is also refered to as Offtake Shaft No. 3 and Shaft 10 is referred to as Offtake Shaft No. 3A. The Shaft structures were constructed at each shaft and are considered to be components of the Pressure Tunnel and shafts. The shaft structures or Pressure Tunnel buildings provide for access to each of the shafts and internal components. The shafts are metal lined and there are eleven Pressure Tunnel buildings, the first located at Potts Hill and the final one being the Central Workshops. Other buildings are located along the western railway line at Newtown, at Weston St in Lewisham, Watson Ave Ashfield, and St Anne's Square at Strathfield South.
	Date condition updated:22 Jun 00
Modifications and dates:	The bituman lining was replaced cement lining between 1961- 63, as soon as the adjacent City Tunnel was complete.


Current use:	Reticulated Water supply from Potts Hill to Waterloo
Former use:	Aboriginal land, timber-getting, farmland

History

Historical notes:

ABORIGINAL LAND
Prior to European settlement the Cooks River Valley was the home of a number of clans of the Aboriginal people. The Gameygal lived on the northern side of Botany Bay, between present day La Perouse and the mouth of the Cooks River. To the north of the Cooks River between South Head and present day Darling Harbour lived the Cadigal people and the Wangal people lived in an area between the Parramatta River and the Cooks River from Darling Harbour to Rose Bay. To the south of Botany Bay in the coastal area including Kurnell and Cronulla and the south coastal strip to Nowra lived the Gweagal people. While there is some argument about the location of land of the Bidiagal clan, there is some evidence that this clan lived in the area between the southern bank of the Cooks River and the northern bank of the Georges River. It is also thought the Cooks River formed the boundary between two dialect groups, the Bidiagal and the Gweagal. Previous reports on the Aboriginal past of the area have suggested that it was occupied by the Bidiagal. (Tranby Aboriginal Co-operative College, 1986; King, 1999; McDonald, 2005). The potential association of the Bidiagal people should not be discounted as a result of this lack of historical detail as after the collapse of the clan structure due to the smallpox epidemic of 1788 and general impact of European invasion, individuals travelled beyond the pre-1788 traditional boundaries. It is thought that the warmer months were spent nearer the coast and the cold months of winter were spent further inland. (Muir L 2007 Cooks River Valley Thematic History)

Due to the impact of the arrival of European colonists from 1788 and the almost immediate impact that this had on established patterns of subsistence, our knowledge of the Aboriginal people of the Sydney district is limited. Some eight individual groups or clans within the vicinity of the Parramatta area have been identified and two, the Cadigal and Wangal, most likely lived in the area that now makes up the Ashfield municipality (Attenbrow, V. & Pratten, C., quoted in SWC, 2005, 5).

Aboriginal people lived along the Cooks River for thousands of years prior to European arrival...The Cadigal and Wangal peoples made use of the land and seasons to hunt, trap, fish and forage for fruit and plants. As firestick farmers, they burned off scrub near rivers leaving only large trees spaced several meters apart, creating an open, park-like appearance (Marrickville Council website, quoted in ibid, 2005, 5).

The British colonisation of Australia commenced just 15km to the east of Strathfield at Sydney Cove in 1788. By 1793 land grants were being made to Europeans in the Strathfield area. Land clearing removed the habitats of native animals and thus would have eliminated food sources for the Wangal people as well as desecrating sacred sites. There is historical evidence of hostility between the early settlers and the Aboriginal people here although by 1804, Governor King was reporting to the British Government that 'the natives in the settlements (between Parramatta and Sydney) had been very quiet and in a great measure domesticated'. Although Wangal people were separated from their traditional relationship with the land, many Aboriginal people continue to live in the Strathfield locality. There are few known remnants of traditional occupation such as campsites, axe grinding grooves and scarred trees in the Strathfield district (Jones, 2014).

Perhaps the most famous Wangal man was Bennelong, who became friendly with Governor Phillip. (Jones, 2014) Phillip built a brick hut for him on the present site of the Sydney Opera House and that peninsular is named after him (Bennelong Point). Bennelong became one of the first Aboriginal people to visit Europe when he travelled to England with Phillip in 1792.

While land closer to the town of Sydney was relatively quickly carved up as land grants to settlers in the first years of the European colony, the land on the southern side of the Cooks River was not subject to land granting until 1904. It was not until 1808 when a number of very large land grants were made over land which traditionally provided Aboriginal people access to the resource rich area of the Georges River, Kurnell Bay and Salt Pan Creek that land became the reason for conflict between the Bidiagal and European settlers. In 1809, an attack was made on two farms at Punchbowl led by a Bidiagal man named Tedbury. Tedbury was the son of Pemulway who had led perhaps the best-known campaign of resistance in the Sydney Basin including a spear attack on Governor Phillip's game keeper, a man renowned for his hostility to the Aboriginal people of the Sydney area. Pemulway and Tedbury spoke the Bidiagal dialect, and are known to have come from around Botany Bay (King, 1999)

The attack at Punchbowl was the last reported act of Aboriginal resistance to European settlement in the Cooks River Valley. In the following years due to alienation from their land and its resources and being subject to the devastation of European infectious diseases, the Aboriginal population in the area dramatically reduced. In 1845 it was reported to the NSW Legislative Select Committee that there were only 3 people of the Botany Bay clan and only fifty Aboriginal people were living in the area between the Cooks and Georges River. (Muir, L., 2007, Cooks River Valley Thematic History).

During the 19th Century European settlers transformed the land along both banks of the Cooks river as farms were established for grazing, family food needs and for other industries such as tanning, production of sugar, harvesting of timber and production of lime from many middens left by the Aboriginal people of the area for thousands of years. Lime was a scarce and necessary commodity for European settlement in the early years of the colony. (Renwick, C., Pastorelli, C., Muir, L., Sheppard, H., Denby, J., Chalcroft, G., 2008, Cooks River Interpretation Strategy).

Post-contact, the stretch of land between Iron Cove and the Cook's River was known as the Kangaroo Ground, the natural woodland would have provided a suitable habitat for possums, fern rhizomes and tubers, all of which would have been identified as valuable food sources for the Wangal (Pratten, C., quoted in SWC, 2005, 5).

The traditional Indigenous custodians of the (Strathfield) area are the Wangal people of the Darug people. There is evidence that the Darug have lived in the Sydney area for over 10,000 years. (Jones, 2014).

Ashfield: Colonial history:
Ashfield was occupied early in the colony's history. The first colonist to live in the area was Augustus Alt, Governor Phillip's surveyor-general, who in 1794 received a land grant of 100 acres in the Croydon area. In 1801 he acquired another 250 acres, which covered most of Ashfield. Another early grant in the area was in 1793 to Lieutenant John Townson. He called his 100 acres Marsh Gate Farm. Townson later sold his land to Samuel Terry, who in turn sold it to Robert Campbell, nephew of the Sydney merchant of the same name. He bought several other farms in the area, including Alt's 250 acres, to make an estate of 480 acres. His father, William Campbell, was laird of Ashfield in Argyllshire, Scotland and Robert was described on his tombstone as 'the last of the lairds of Ashfield in Argyllshire'. He may have named the area Ashfield after his Scottish home. The name would also have appealed to the later owner, Joseph Underwood, who came from the parish of Ashfield in Suffolk (England). In 1815 Campbell sold to John Laurie, who in turn sold it in 1817 to Joseph Underwood. Underwood added more land, including Hermitage Farm in 1818, to total over 605 acres. In the 1820s he built his house, Ashfield Park, on this land. He lived there until his death in 1833, and his widow continued to occupy the house until her death (Pollen and Healy, 1988, 8-9).

Elizabeth Underwood gave the 5 acres of land on which St. John's Church of England was built. The foundation stone...was laid by Bishop Broughton, the colony's first bishop, on 9/9/1840. The Underwood home was later purchased by the Roman Catholic Church, and became a convent of the order of Our Lady of the Snows. The area of the present Ashfield Park (on Parramatta Road) is part of 175 acres granted to and bought by Henry Kable between 1794 and 1804. In 1822 it was sold to James Underwood, brother of Joseph, and leased out until 1879, when it was acquired as public Parkland. On 24/3/1838 an advertisement in 'The Colonist' newspaper advised that 'the allotments for the village to bear the name of Ashfield have been laid out near the junction of Liverpool and Parramatta Roads'. THese two roads were the first in the colony: Parramatta Road was built in 1810-11; The Great South Road to Liverpool was opened in 1814 by Governor Macquarie. The first post office in Ashfield oepend on 1/1/1856 and the first school in January 1862. By 1866 the suburb's industrial life had progressed to include one steam mill, Boylston's bakery, Tancred's soap and candle makers, and a bone-dust mill. Ashfield incorporated as a municipality in 1871. Ashfield was one of the original railway stations when the line between Sydney and Parramatta opened in 1855... and the area developed quickly after the coming of the railway (Pollen and Healy, 1988, 8-9).

Strathfield: Colonial history:
The first grants in the present day Strathfield Municipality were made in 1793 under the hand of Lieutenant-Governor Grose. The Mount St Mary ACU campus lies on part of a 450 acre grant made to the Chaplain of St. James Church in 1823, however that grant soon reverted to the Crown. In 1841, the campus was part of a 256 acre grant made to Joseph Hyde Potts (1793-1865), then the Secretary of the Bank of New South Wales. The grant remained in the hands of his descendants it was subdivided in the early 1880s. (Weir & Phillips, 2015)

Before the 1860s, settlement in the Strathfield area was clustered around inns and other service industries scattered along the Parramatta and Liverpool Roads and near the Homebush Racecourse. The 1866 subdivision of James Wilshire's (570 acre, granted in 1808, between the present streets The Boulevarde, Chalmers St. & Liverpool Road: Pollen & Healy, 1990) estate in Strathfield known as Redmire was marketed towards well-to-do families seeking a suburban 'villa' lifestyle and attracted many prominent families in Sydney society including members of parliament, senior public servants, surgeons, solicitors and businessmen (Weir & Phillips, 2015).

To the west of this were Church Lands, declared in 1823 to support clergy in the colony, which extended into present day Flemington. In 1841 this was sold and the part south of Barker Rd. was acquired by Joseph Newton. The grant was sold to Samuel Terry in 1824 and he renamed it Redmyre Estate. The name Redmire (changed c1865 to Redmyre) honoured a village in North Yorkshire, England, which was near the birthplace of the Terry family (Pollen & Healy, 1990).

After 1877 when Redmyre Railway Station opened (it was renamed Strathfield Station in 1900), the distance between Strathfield and the city was reduced to an easy 28 minutes journey although the relative expense of the service at this time helped maintain the social exclusiveness of the area. Albert Road was first listed in John Sands' Sydney and Suburban Directories in 1886. The road was one of most fashionable streets in Strathfield and the address of numerous grand villa estates including Mount Royal, which now forms part of the Edmund Rice Building on the Mount St Mary ACU campus (Weir Phillips, 2015).

In 1885 the area was incorporated as Strathfield. This new title came from the name of a mansion built in the district by John Hardie, a wealthy early settler, who chose the name to honour the English estate given in 1817 by a grateful nation to the Duke of Wellington. (Pollen, 1988, 247).

Canterbury:
The first European land grant in this suburb...was of 100 acres to a "very good, pious, inoffensive man", the Reverend Richard Johnson (1753-1827), the colony's first chaplain, in 1793. He called his grant Canterbury Vale, as a tribute to Canterbury in England, and the suburb took its name from the farm. The farm extended over the area of modern day Canterbury and Ashbury suburbs. By 1800, when it was sold to Lieutenant William Cox, the property covered 600 acres. In 1803, when it covered 900 acres, it was sold to Robert Campbell the elder (1769-1846), who then bought up most of the land north to Liverpool Road.

The village of Canterbury was formed after 1841 subdivision of this land, then owned by Campbell. Sales of the land in the area west of Canterbury Road and north of the railway, were successful, and several other sales followed in the 1840s and 1850s.

Although the soil in this area was rather poor, there was some farm cultivation, but the main work was wood cutting and carting, and brickmaking. In 1840 the Australian Sugar Company bought 60 acres of Campbell's Canterbury estate and a steam engine was installed, but after passing through the hands of several owners, the factory closed in 1856.

The first post office opened in 1858, and the first official public school in 1878, and the district slowly developed. Canterbury Race Course, on the northern bank of the Cooks River has been one of Sydney's major racetracks since 1871. The railway station, on the Bankstown line, opened in 1895 (Pollen & Healy, 1988, 7-8 & 50).

Bankstown:
This area was selected for settlement by Governor Hunter, who named it Banks Town in honour of eminent botanist, Sir Joseph Banks. In 1795 George Bass and Matthew Flinders had explored the Georges River, named after King George III, the reigning monarch. They sailed along what would later be the southern boundary of the municipality. They reported their findings and were given land grants in the Georges Hall area. Bass received the first grant in 1798, of 100 acres in the vicinity of the present Hazel and Flinders Streets. He did not farm it, and eventually it reverted to the Crown. Flinders' grant was alongside Bass'. He bought more land, until he held 300 acres, but did not farm it. Lieutenant Shortland and Surveyor James Meehan also got grants. By 1799, 1200 acres on both banks of the river had been granted to marines and ex-convicts.

The area developed slowly, as it was isolated from both Sydney and Parramatta. After Liverpool Road was constructed in 1814 it began to develop rapidly, and settlements grew up along the road. Bushrangers were a problem, and in Bankstown's early days, two, Patrick Sullivan and James Moran, were hung on makeshift gallows on the site of the present Bankstown Water Tower. A few days several of their companions were also hung there. They were probably interred in nearby unconsecrated land.

In 1831 Michael Ryan was granted 100 acres in Bankstown, which included this site, and for many years the area was called Ryan's Paddock.

The Church of England School established here in 1862, becoming the first public school in 1868, but was moved to North Bankstown in 1913. The first post office opened in 1863, but closed in 1918 (Pollen & Healy, 1988, 19).

Water Supply Tunnel:
Investigation for a large pressure tunnel was begun in 1914, to assist the trunk mains between Potts Hill and Crown Street. The tunnel was to extend from Potts Hill Reservoir to the Waterloo pumping station, approximately 16 kilometres. To allow for maintenance and cleaning, it was designed as two cylindrical tubes, each 1.8 metres in diameter. It was approved by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works in 1919.

Trial bores were put down in 1921 and 1922. The first tests were conducted between Potts Hill No.1 and No.5, a length of 4 kilometres, but extensive rupturing of the lining occurred. Further fractrues developed during testing of the tunnel between shafts 6 and 9. The section of the Pressure Tunnel between shafts 1 and 5 was commissioned in 1929 due to the urgent need for water. In 1930 the Board approved lining the entire length of the tunnel with steel tube (interior diameter of 8'3"). The tubing allowed for internal securing of the individual sections of the tube. The annular space between the tube and the tunnel was filled with blue metal concrete. Due to lack of funds the lining of the pipe was ceased until 1933 when funds were raised to complete the job. The lining was completed by 1935. The internal lining of the pipes was done with bituman which was done in the factory during manufacture. In 1961 the tunnel was the third largest in the world.

In 1933 a Royal Commission into the failure of the internal lining was ordered by the government. Lining of the Pressure Tunnel was underway by this point but the Royal Commision determined responsibility of the failures. The report contained great details of pressure tunnels and failures around the world and led to an influx of qualified engineers to the Water Board of the time.

Historic themes

Australian theme (abbrev)	New South Wales theme	Local theme
1. Environment-Tracing the evolution of a continent's special environments	Environment - naturally evolved-Activities associated with the physical surroundings that support human life and influence or shape human cultures.	Other open space-
1. Environment-Tracing the evolution of a continent's special environments	Environment - naturally evolved-Activities associated with the physical surroundings that support human life and influence or shape human cultures.	Cultural: Geological evidence of the history of the Earth-
1. Environment-Tracing the evolution of a continent's special environments	Environment - naturally evolved-Activities associated with the physical surroundings that support human life and influence or shape human cultures.	Modification of terrain-
1. Environment-Tracing the evolution of a continent's special environments	Environment - naturally evolved-Activities associated with the physical surroundings that support human life and influence or shape human cultures.	Changing the environment-
2. Peopling-Peopling the continent	Aboriginal cultures and interactions with other cultures-Activities associated with maintaining, developing, experiencing and remembering Aboriginal cultural identities and practices, past and present.	Aboriginal Culture-
2. Peopling-Peopling the continent	Aboriginal cultures and interactions with other cultures-Activities associated with maintaining, developing, experiencing and remembering Aboriginal cultural identities and practices, past and present.	Daruk Nation - sites evidencing occupation-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Agriculture-Activities relating to the cultivation and rearing of plant and animal species, usually for commercial purposes, can include aquaculture	Private farming-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Agriculture-Activities relating to the cultivation and rearing of plant and animal species, usually for commercial purposes, can include aquaculture	Clearing land for farming-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Environment - cultural landscape-Activities associated with the interactions between humans, human societies and the shaping of their physical surroundings	Unseen but Present-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Environment - cultural landscape-Activities associated with the interactions between humans, human societies and the shaping of their physical surroundings	Developing local, regional and national economies-National Theme 3
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Environment - cultural landscape-Activities associated with the interactions between humans, human societies and the shaping of their physical surroundings	Landscapes of institutions - productive and ornamental-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Forestry-Activities associated with identifying and managing land covered in trees for commercial purposes.	Timber getting-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Health-Activities associated with preparing and providing medical assistance and/or promoting or maintaining the well being of humans	(none)-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Pastoralism-Activities associated with the breeding, raising, processing and distribution of livestock for human use	Agisting and fattening stock for slaughter-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Pastoralism-Activities associated with the breeding, raising, processing and distribution of livestock for human use	Modifying landscapes to increase productivity-
3. Economy-Developing local, regional and national economies	Technology-Activities and processes associated with the knowledge or use of mechanical arts and applied sciences	Technologies for reticulated water supply-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal	Resuming private lands for public purposes-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal	Early farming (Cattle grazing)-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal	Administering and alienating Crown lands-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Land tenure-Activities and processes for identifying forms of ownership and occupancy of land and water, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal	Changing land uses - from rural to suburban-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	Developing suburbia-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	Planning relationships between key structures and town plans-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	living in the suburbs-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	Shaping coastal settlement-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	Shaping inland settlements-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	Developing government towns-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	Suburban Expansion-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	20th Century infrastructure-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Towns, suburbs and villages-Activities associated with creating, planning and managing urban functions, landscapes and lifestyles in towns, suburbs and villages	Creating landmark structures and places in suburban settings-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Utilities-Activities associated with the provision of services, especially on a communal basis	Water and drainage-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Utilities-Activities associated with the provision of services, especially on a communal basis	Suburban Consolidation-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Utilities-Activities associated with the provision of services, especially on a communal basis	Water supply-
4. Settlement-Building settlements, towns and cities	Utilities-Activities associated with the provision of services, especially on a communal basis	Providing drinking water-
5. Working-Working	Labour-Activities associated with work practises and organised and unorganised labour	Working complex machinery and technologies-
5. Working-Working	Labour-Activities associated with work practises and organised and unorganised labour	Working on public infrastructure projects-
5. Working-Working	Labour-Activities associated with work practises and organised and unorganised labour	Working in the public service-
7. Governing-Governing	Government and Administration-Activities associated with the governance of local areas, regions, the State and the nation, and the administration of public programs - includes both principled and corrupt activities.	State government-
7. Governing-Governing	Government and Administration-Activities associated with the governance of local areas, regions, the State and the nation, and the administration of public programs - includes both principled and corrupt activities.	Developing roles for government - public land administration-
7. Governing-Governing	Government and Administration-Activities associated with the governance of local areas, regions, the State and the nation, and the administration of public programs - includes both principled and corrupt activities.	Developing roles for government - providing reticulated water-
7. Governing-Governing	Government and Administration-Activities associated with the governance of local areas, regions, the State and the nation, and the administration of public programs - includes both principled and corrupt activities.	Developing roles for government - conserving cultural and natural heritage-
7. Governing-Governing	Government and Administration-Activities associated with the governance of local areas, regions, the State and the nation, and the administration of public programs - includes both principled and corrupt activities.	Developing roles for government - building and operating public infrastructure-
7. Governing-Governing	Government and Administration-Activities associated with the governance of local areas, regions, the State and the nation, and the administration of public programs - includes both principled and corrupt activities.	Public works-
7. Governing-Governing	Government and Administration-Activities associated with the governance of local areas, regions, the State and the nation, and the administration of public programs - includes both principled and corrupt activities.	Developing roles for government - administration of land-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities.	Industrial buildings-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities.	Industrial buildings-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities.	Building in response to natural landscape features.-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities.	Technological innovation and design solutions-
8. Culture-Developing cultural institutions and ways of life	Creative endeavour-Activities associated with the production and performance of literary, artistic, architectural and other imaginative, interpretive or inventive works; and/or associated with the production and expression of cultural phenomena; and/or environments that have inspired such creative activities.	Adaptation of overseas design for local use-

Assessment of significance


SHR Criteria a) [Historical significance]	The Pressure Tunnel is a key component of Sydney's water supply system whose function has remained unchanged since it was constructed.
SHR Criteria c) [Aesthetic significance]	The tunnel is underground and can only be observed from the inside when dewatered.
SHR Criteria d) [Social significance]	The Pressure Tunnel and shafts are socially significant as they provided large volumes of water to the growing population of Sydney and surrounding suburbs. It provided water to the population during periods of drought and is likely to be held in high regard by the community for the function it plays.
SHR Criteria e) [Research potential]	The construction of the tunnel was delayed when the two tunnelling machine imported from England were unable to tunnel through the sandstone bedrock. The sandstone was far too hard for the cutting tools and manual labour was used instead. The fractures that resulted under full head provided a better understanding of the substrata and its properties.
SHR Criteria f) [Rarity]	This item is rare in NSW. It is the third largest pressure tunnel in the world.
SHR Criteria g) [Representativeness]	It is representative of the successful engineering response to the difficulties of increasing the volume of water from Potts Hill to Waterloo, and the provision of a dependable water supply during the inter-war period.
Integrity/Intactness:	Internally the tunnels are substantially intact. The shafts are considerably altered.
Assessment criteria:	Items are assessed against the State Heritage Register (SHR) Criteria to determine the level of significance. Refer to the Listings below for the level of statutory protection.

Recommended management:

Manage the place and its significant components in accordance with the Heritage Council State Owned Heritage Asset Management Guidelines and the Minimum Standards of Maintenance and Repair in the NSW Heritage Regulations. Manage significant site elements in accordance with a Conservation Management Plan (CMP). If no CMP exists, consult with Asset Management Commercial Services with respect to commissioning a CMP. When commissioning a CMP, do so in accordance with the Model Brief for CMPs available on ConnectNet. Seek endorsement of the CMP from the Heritage Council of NSW. Works undertaken in accordance with a Heritage Council-endorsed CMP do not require further approval under the NSW Heritage Act. Involve heritage professionals as required under the terms of the CMP, or as otherwise determined necessary. Review CMP every 5 years or in a major change of circumstances, whichever is sooner. Review of a CMP should only be undertaken following consultation with Asset Management Commercial Services . When commissioning a CMP review, do so in accordance with the Model Brief for CMPs available on ConnectNet. Where no CMP is in place, or where works are outside the scope of the existing CMP, assess heritage impacts of proposed works in accordance with Sydney Water Environment Impact Assessment guidelines (e.g. undertake a Heritage Assessment and/or Statement of Heritage Impact as required, obtain Heritage Council approval as required). Consult with the Heritage Manager, Environment and Innovation, when major works are planned which affect items of State heritage significance. Undertake archival and photographic recording before major changes, in accordance with Heritage Council guidelines. Lodge copies of the archival record with the Sydney Water Archives and the NSW Heritage Office. Where the item is listed in a Local Environmental Plan Schedule of Heritage items, determine if works are exempt from approval under the LEP provisions. Where works are not exempt, obtain necessary approvals from the local council, in accordance with SWC EIA Guidelines.

Recommendations

Management Category	Description	Date Updated
Recommended Management	Produce a Conservation Management Plan (CMP)
Recommended Management	Prepare a maintenance schedule or guidelines
Recommended Management	Carry out interpretation, promotion and/or education

Procedures /Exemptions

Section of act	Description	Title	Comments	Action date
57(2)	Exemption to allow work	Standard Exemptions	HERITAGE ACT 1977 ORDER UNDER SECTION 57(2) TO GRANT STANDARD EXEMPTIONS FROM APPROVAL I, Penny Sharpe, the Minister for Heritage, on the recommendation of the Heritage Council of New South Wales and under section 57(2) of the Heritage Act 1977: revoke the order made on 2 June 2022 and published in the Government Gazette Number 262 of 17 June 2022; and grant an exemption from section 57(1) of the Act in respect of the engaging in or carrying out the class of activities described in clause 2 Schedule A in such circumstances specified by the relevant standards in clause 2 Schedule A and General Conditions in clause 3 Schedule A. This Order takes effect on the date it is published in the NSW Government Gazette. Dated this 29th day of October 2025 The Hon Penny Sharpe MLC Minister for Heritage For more information on standard exemptions click on the link below.	Nov 7 2025

Standard exemptions for engaging in or carrying out activities / works otherwise prohibited by section 57(1) of the Heritage Act 1977

Listings

Heritage Listing	Listing Title	Listing Number	Gazette Date	Gazette Number	Gazette Page
Heritage Act - State Heritage Register		01630	15 Nov 02	220	9709
Heritage Act - s.170 NSW State agency heritage register

Study details

Title	Year	Number	Author	Inspected by	Guidelines used
Sydney Water Heritage Study	1996	130141	Graham Brooks and Associates Pty Ltd	GRAHAM BROOKS AND ASSOCIATES PTY LTD 1 July 1996	Yes
Alexandra Canal Conservation Management Plan	2004		NSW Department of Commenrce, Heritage Design Services		Yes
Canterbury Heritage Study Review	2006		City Plan Heritage		Yes

References, internet links & images

Type	Author	Year	Title	Internet Links
Written	Pollon, Francis (ed.) & Healy, Gerald	1988	'Bankstown' and 'Ashfield entries

Note: internet links may be to web pages, documents or images.

(Click on thumbnail for full size image and image details)

Data source


The information for this entry comes from the following source:
Name:	Heritage NSW
Database number:	5053868
File number:	130141; EF14/4354

Every effort has been made to ensure that information contained in the State Heritage Inventory is correct. If you find any errors or omissions please send your comments to the Database Manager.

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